Ashwina Soekhoe

Product of the future: Iris Scanner - Identification Tool

Identification through Iris Scanning

The Product

At this moment several big companies, such as Panasonic, LG, Sensar, Motorola, are making iris-scanners. The iris-scanners are now available on the market in different sizes and with different extra functionalities. Some are more advanced and more sophisticated, depending on the industries they are to be used in. However, the main functionality "iris scanning for identification" is the same for every brand or type.
How does it work? The process, which takes about two seconds, involves taking a digital picture of the iris from 10 to 12 inches away, converting the image to a code and comparing it to a previously stored encrypted code from a database.

Effective identification and authentication have more and more become an issue in this era of terrorism and idividualization. Sinds no other biometric offers as much information as our eyes, the potential of eye-scan identification has been recognized for decades now. Both the iris and the retina are distinctive, and remain stable over time. Retinal scanning was first conceived in the 1970s, but the invasiveness and costs associated with imaging the retina prohibited widespread market acceptance. The concept of iris recognition was patented in 1986, and the software algorithms to realize the technology emerged in the mid nineties. Iris recognition is less invasive, less expensive, and highly accurate, which has earned the technology top billing in high-security applications and Hollywood blockbusters alike. Iris identification is even more accurate than fingerprints, thanks to the tremendous detail and variation in each person's eyes.

Human Iris

Panasonic’s Authenticam™, developed with Iridian Technologies, is an iris- scanning PC peripheral, which doubles as a camera. It can be used for video conferencing and online collaboration. (Credit: Iridian Technologies)	The BM-ET500™ is Panasonic’s iris-scanning, physical-access solution. It has an integrated two-camera system, which automatically pans, tilts, and zooms. The unit automatically adjusts for height variations during the three-second identification process. (Credit: Panasonic)

Current Use

Iris-recognition technology is one of the more popular options because of its accuracy and convenience. In the past two years, rapid decreases in price and better performance have made biometric technology practical for consumer applications such as accessing automatic teller machines (ATMs) and for governmental purposes such as confirming the identities of welfare recipients. Escpecially in the banking sector and governmental agencies iris-recognition technology has gained popularity.
Iris-recognition success stories include restricted-access solutions in airports and nuclear power plants, and work is underway to implement the technology at border crossings and customs checkpoints. Your iris is already your passport in the Netherlands and Canada, where trusted travelers can bypass lengthy customs and immigration lines by enrolling in a fastpass program for a small fee. It's one of the newest weapons in fighting terrorism, while helping passengers get through border control more quickly. Passengers just have to put their passport through a scanner, take a brief look at a camera, and a few seconds later can walk through a gate. The eye scan can track people's movements and check if they're on terrorist watch lists and police criminal databases.
• LG Electronics has installed the iris devices in banks, airports and other high-security areas.
• Last summer, the Nine Zero hotel in Boston became the first hotel to use the iris-scanner.
• A small elementary school in New Jersey is one of the first in the country to test new iris scanning technology in an educational setting.

Future Perspectives

As already stated iris recognition is more and more used in banking applications, governmental agencies and for other security reasons. It is also being tested in other industries. Because of it's convience and accuracy and the fact that it is rapidly decreasing in price, I think it will become the identification standard in the future.
Some future projects Japan is testing iris recognition in airline ticket kiosks." Future developments might lead iris recognition into shopping malls, ATMs, maybe even the local convenience store. According to Tom DeWinter, manager of business development for LG Iris Technology, a division of LG Electronics USA, Biometrics actually increase peoples’ privacy and security. “People can reproduce a paper ID a lot easier than a biometric,” he said. “With all the identify theft going on in the world today, being able to authenticate people by who they really are and not just by what documents they might present is more important.

References

- Iris scanners enroll in elementary school: http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060224-6259.html
- Gazing into the future, one iris at a time — JSCMS: http://jscms.jrn.columbia.edu/cns/2005-03-01/grogan-eyescanner
- Iris recognition solutions: http://www.lgiris.com/products/3000.html
- Biometric Identification: http://www.tipmagazine.com/tip/INPHFA/vol-6/iss-1/p20.pdf
- A new look in security: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,643,00.asp
- Personal Authentication Systems: http://www-rcf.usc.edu/~wdutton/comm533/PAS-SM~1.htm
- International Biometric group: http://www.biometricgroup.com/in_the_news/03_11_05.html